State ranks 6th in speeding fines

The average ticket for driving 13 mph over the speed limit is $226.

The next time you’re stopped for speeding in Florida, look on the bright side. The fine could be worse in other states. Just not much worse. You’d be better off getting a ticket in 43 other states, according to a new analysis from GoCompare, a British insurance price comparison website.

The average ticket for driving 13 mph over the speed limit is $226 in Florida. Fines vary from county to county (that ticket in Orange County would set you back $204), but overall the state is a relatively expensive place if you’re a risky driver.

By risky, I mean you speed, run red lights or use a cell phone while driving, all of which were analyzed in the study.

By relatively, I mean bad driving is a lot cheaper in neighboring Alabama, where the average speeding fine is $20. But being a leadfoot could send you to the

poorhouse in Nevada, where the average ticket cost $1,000.

And if you think that’s bad, be thrilled you don’t live and drive in Estonia.

GoCompare’s “Harsher Penalties” study of international fines showed that the average speeding ticket cost $451, which is 31.75 percent of the average worker’s salary in that country.

“Puha Jama!” as they say in Estonia.

(You’ll have to look up what that means, but I think I can get away with writing in Estonian).

When it comes to punishing bad drivers, the U.S. is pretty lenient compared to most industrialized countries. But compared to other states in this industrialized country, Florida is not lenient.

The average fine for running a red light is $158, which ranks 13th out of the 50 states. And the average fine for improperly using a cell phone (texting/handsfree laws vary widely) is $200, which ranks 9th in the nation.

What are the priciest states?

Nevada, where the average speeding ticket is $1,000. It also ranks No. 1 in fines for running a red light, which will set you back another $1,000.

As for using a cell phone, you’d be better off tossing it out the window when you’re behind the wheel in Alaska.

The maximum fine there is $10,000 (because it’s a misdemeanor that could also land you a year in jail). That’s approximately $10,000 more than it’d cost you in Montana.

Internationally, Norway is the priciest place to get caught speeding, with an average fine of $769. The U.S. ranks 25th with an average of $70.

Canada has the harshest penalties for using a cell phone at $283. The U.S. is 31st, with an average fine of $20.

Running a red light is most expensive in Greece ($819). The U.S. ranks No. 30 ($35).

Just remember, these are the average fines. Individual violations can skyrocket.

Ask the Swiss driver who was clocked going 180 mph in his Mercedes SLS AMG. In some Nordic countries, fines are sometimes levied based on the driver’s income.

In this case, the wellheeled speed demon qualified for the highest penalty of 300 days of fines at 3,600 Swiss francs a day.

That would be $1,087,884 in current U.S. dollars.

Puha Jama!

David Whitley is a member of our Community Conversations Team. He can be reached at dwhitley@ orlandosentinel.com